Quote:In this conversation, Rupert Sheldrake and David Bentley Hart delve into the concept of fields in physics, discussing their nature as non-material formative causes and their historical context in scientific thought. They explore the idea that fields, such as gravitational and electromagnetic, act as top-down causes, aligning with Aristotle's formal and final causes, and argue for a re-evaluation of these ancient concepts in modern science.
Chapter List:
00:00 - Introduction
01:14 - Exploring Fields as Causes in Nature
02:08 - Magnetic Fields and Formative Processes
04:19 - Gravitational Fields and Formative Effects
06:10 - Aristotle’s Formal and Final Causes
07:32 - Challenges in Understanding Fields
09:09 - Fields as Top-Down Causes
10:34 - Morphic Fields and Formative Causation
12:23 - Information Theory vs. Form
14:15 - Fields and Order in Physics
17:15 - Semantic and Syntactic Information
18:18 - Universal Gravitational Field
19:44 - Strong and Weak Nuclear Fields
21:18 - History of Field Theory and Ether
23:14 - Gilbert’s Magnetic Theory
24:46 - Mind-like Structure in Nature
25:39 - Combination of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Theories
27:07 - Mechanistic Models and Their Limitations
28:52 - Recovering Aristotelian Causality
31:39 - Conclusion and Reflection on Fields as Modern Souls
'Historically, we may regard materialism as a system of dogma set up to combat orthodox dogma...Accordingly we find that, as ancient orthodoxies disintegrate, materialism more and more gives way to scepticism.'
- Bertrand Russell
- Bertrand Russell
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